Sheet-gauging device for slitting machines



April 13,1926.

J.'M. HOTHER SAL L I SHEET GAUGING DEVICE FOR SLITTING MACHINES Filed August 19, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY April 13, 1926. 1,580,250

J. M. HOTHERSALL SHEET GAUGING' DEVICE FOR SLITTING MACHINES Filed August 19, 1922 3 Sheets-FSheet 2 6 I; 45 1% w 1. m l m H IHIIM-vv mvw IPLII v Ill/IA A HORNE Y 1,5s0,2s0 J. M. HOTHERSALL SHEET GAUGING DEVICE FOR SLIT'TING manna-2s Filed August 19, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet s April 13' 1926.

INVENTOR.

, [2..3 XQM A TTORNE Y of New it'ul fmproye Patented Apr. 13, 1926.

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Be it known that I; JOHN M. HOTHERSALL, a enemies the'United"States', i'esicling in Brook 11, in the county of King's and'State York, have-"invented a' new 'andfuse- "ent in "Sheet-Gauging Devices for Slitting' v 'e'chines', o't hi'c-h the followis a. specifi'e'ation' ,iii irwentiqn' relates to slitting machines which are employed to out sheetijmet el stock, for use 'i'nea'n bodies andthei 1ike,"and*1ms niore partieular ref rence to devices ina machine or this 'eh'a'ra'eter" for 'a'courately gauging or squarin'glup the sheets ip'repa ratory to their bein'g'fed th1'*'ou'gl1"the' slitting elements. L

' lPQp rinoipal objeot of the inyention is the provision of gauging devicesQforthe 'pur posestated iyliih are adapted to operate with the accuracy required inthe feeding of deoorated stock, such as litliograplied sheets of tin plate, t lien 1g espec ally 'neeessary to attain aingh- 1eg ee of acct. ec 'in the hair tiling of such sheets to prevent their surfaces beingmarred or damaged duri g the slit- It is another object of the invention to provide gar ging inembe'rsliii a 'slitting"1na--' ch ne hichare adapted to engage the points on a lithograplied sfheet Wlhc h, have 'preiou sly beenthe gauging points in a lithograph ng press; it-bemg" notedfm this con nectlon', that the I umform method of lposr tioning sheets in suehapress'is by means or a three p oint' system, fin" which the-"sheet-Yis engaged fat tW igripperpoints in one edge and at a thirdpoint' in anot lier edge where, by it is positively and exec tlylocated for priiitiiigf 1 r A further object of the invention is the provision f slitter (feed gauging devices which," eit-erproperly gauging and squaring up the sheet, holdit in accurate"position as it moves into the slitting rollers, ithus preventing slippage orrelativemo'yement which would result in damage gto thei surface Condition, ell as cause misalignment oftlie sheet. The iny'en'tio'u elsocontemplates, in this connection, "the proyision of means for retracting certain" of the gauging members afterthe slieet: --l1as been accurately engaged by the Cutting element-s,f1norder to permitsheets of irregular formation to pass by without ehangin 'g their line of travel es they move through said butting elements.

ported upona lower :frfiuile part 15.

'Applieetion filed August 19, 1922. Serial No. 582,908.

Other objects and advantages or the in vention will be apparent ias 'it is better-urn derstood ffrom the "following" description, which," tat-ken in connection with "the accompanying"drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof. 1 4 v Referring'to the drawings,

Figurel isa plan View of a slitting m:

chine "in which my invention is embodied Fig.2 is a. side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 isezse etional view taken substantially on the line 3'3 in Fig. Iand showing the Ifr'ont' auging finger is a seetioniaken substantially-onthe line 4.-' l=1nrF1g. l fand showing in de;

tail the means for moving the slide upon which the side gauging devices are mounted;

ig. 5 is a partial section taken substantiallyzon the line 55 in: Figrl'; and

Fig. 6 is abottom plan View showingthe table e'iit-ensioii 'a'rm end being taken" substantially on. thesection'Iline 66 inFig. 3.

comprises afoa'ble 111', which isfsupported up ets 'l'3 and 114 boltedgtlieretoat opposite sides and inzwhichthe cutting lements are mounted, the entire'imefchanism being suitably sup- The sheets are fed across the table 11,' in any approyedmenner, and ere 'operated upon by means'ofslitting rollers 16 and 17, which are provided in any desired number upon upper and lower shafts 18 and :19, these shafts being mounted inadjustable bearing blocks-21 and-22; in the bracketsl endl-. The cutting; elements are" operated by rotation of :these shaft-s, the lower one being; "driven by means" ofepulley 23' on the end thre'ofand bein geared by means of gears 24and 25totheshaft 18.

Before a sheet enters the slitting rollers, it

is necessary that'it loe suitably gauged to square up the front edge withrespeet'thereto,so.that it may be accurately operated upon'by the cutting 'elements." Forthis purpose, I provide gauging devices W'hioh soonsist, in the present instance, of a front gaugi'ngfinger. QGand sidejgziuging levers 27 and 28, though :it will be understood "that two leaugin'gipoints might be' arranged atthe frontend orient the Side; if desired. .The

- on an upper frame 12 having bearingbraokmounted in ball bearings 31 in bracket arms 32 extending upwardly from the brackets 13 and 14.

A block cam 33 is secured upon the rock shaft 29 by means of a cap screw 34: and the upper end of the gauge finger is secured to said cam by mean of a set screw 05 and clamping screws 36 and 37. Said finger is vertically adjustable in a slideway 38 in the front of the block 33, being provided with a suitable slot 39 (Fig. 5) to permit movement relative to the screw 35. Upon the lower end of the finger is a roller l1 which may be adjusted with respect to the top of the table by the mechanism j ust described. An extension arm is adjustably secured to the bottom of the table by bolts 43 and l i extending through slots 45 and 46 (Fig. 6) and said arm serves to support the advancing sheet adjacent the point where it is gauged by the finger 26.

An adjustable frame part and guide t? is secured at the side of the table by a bolt and slot connection, as indicated at 48, and the inner side of said frame part is provided with a groove 19, which provides a siideway for a slide 51, the gauging levers 27 and 28 being pivotally secured at 52 and 53, respectively, to pivot members 5% and 55, which are secured by screws 56 and 57 to said slide. Said levers 27 and 28 have their engaging points normally urged outwardly by springs 58 and 59 and are held in gauging position by pins 61 and 62 hearing against cam members 63 and 64.

Referring now to 4i, it will be noted that an arm 65 is connected by means of a link 66 with the front end of the s ide 51 and the upper end of said arm is rigidly mounted upon the rock shaft 29. Upon said shaft, there is also secured a forwardly extending arm 67, which is yieldingly connected by a spring 68 with the frame bracket 13. A set screw 69 is provided in the frame beneath said arm 67 and serves to adjustably limit the downward movement thereof.

In operation, a sheet is fed across the table 11 until its front edge comes in contact with the roller ii on the gauge finger 26, it being retarded thereby and the side edges being forced against the gauging levers 27 and 28. In this manner, the sheet is accurately located and may safely be fed between the slitting rollers. The sheets, however, may be of irregular formation, as, for example, having the front edge of less width than the back, and it is obvious that continued move ment of such a sheet after being gauged would result in deflecting the line of travel, if the side gauging devices were stationary. I. therefore, provide means for moving said side gauging devices with the sheet after the latter has been squared up until it is fu ly engaged by the slittingrollers. The means whereby this is accomplished is perhaps best illustrated in Figs. 3 and a. After a sheet has come in contact with the roller 41, the gauging finger 26 is moved thereby and serves to rock the shaft 29, which also carries the arm 65 which is secured to the forward end of the slide 51. It will be thus apparent that when the finger 26 is lifted by the force of the sheet to permit the latter to pass, the arm 65 is actuated to draw the slide 51 and therewith the gauging levers 27 and 28 in forward direction. The sheet is, in this manner, securely held at the points originally engaged until it has entered the slitting rollers. In the event that the sheet is of the irregular formation heretofore referred to, continued movement thereof through the rollers would yet tend to deflect the path of travel if the lateral position of the gauging levers 27 and '28 remained the same during said continued movement of the sheet. In other words, assuming that the back of the sheet is of greater width than the front, the projecting rear corner would act upon the gauging levers to twist the sheet and thus cause damage thereto in the slitting rolls. 1., therefore, provide means for retracting said levers 2'? and 28 after they have traveled with the sheet a predetermined distance. It will be observed, by an inspection of Fig. 1., that the cam members and 6a are beveled at 71 and 7 2 to permit the pins 61 and 62 to ride outwardly thereon under the force of the springs 58 and 59. manner, the wide rear edge of a sheet of the character described may pass safely by without being obstructed, Or the course of the sheet al ered by the levers 2'7 and 28.

The distance which said gauging levers travel with the sheet before being retracted may be varied at will by adjustment of the cam members 63 and 64, the latter being adjustably secured by screws 73 and 74 in slots 75 and 7 6 provided in the upper part of the side frame part 47. The slide 51 is held in the groove 49 by means of screws 77 and 78 slidable in slots 79 and 81 in the lower part of the frame member 47. Since said member 47 may have its position upon the table 11 adjusted by the bolt and slot. connection. indicated by the reference char cter 1-8, it is manifest that the gauging devices may be positioned to accommodate sheets of different size and the action thereof may be controlled *ith extreme accuracy.

It is thoughtthat the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

1 claim:

In this.

' ments, a tableupon whichjtlre sheets are 1. In a machine for slitting sheet metal and the like, the combination of slitting elements, a table upon which" the sheets are fed to said elements, and gauging devices comprising front and rear side gauging levers foraligning the sheets upon said tabl e,sa1d

devices being adapted to move apredeter mined distance in holding-engagement with a sheet and being thereafter'retractable to permit passage of anirregular.sheet-portion. 2. In a machine for slitting sheet 'metal and the like, the combinatiomof slittingele ments, a table upon-which'the sheets arefed j to said elements, 'andga uging devices C0l1'i-. prising a member nthe path-ofthesheets at the front oft-the table and -.means at the side of the table co-operating with saidfront f member to align the sl1eets, sai d -means bei-ng movable a predeterm ned distance in gholdm' g engagement withan"advancingssheet 3. In amachine for slittl'iigf sheet metal and the like, the combination-of sl tting elefed to said elements, and gauging devices comprising a member in the path of the sheets at the front-of -the table and meansgat the side of ithe'table co operatin-g withsaid front member -to align the sheets, said-means being adjustable to move over variable distances in holding engagement with 1111, ad vancing sheet. W

and being thereafter retractable to prevent deflection of an irregularly formed sheet.

5. In a machine for slitting sheet metal and the like, the co-mbination'of slitting elements, a table upon which the sheets are fed to said elements, and gauging devices comprising a member in the path of the sheets at the front of the table and means at the side of the table co-operatingwith said front member to align the sheets, said means being movable in holding engagement with an advancing sheet until the latter is fully engaged by the slitting elements.

6. In a sheet metal slitting machine,the

combination of slitting elements, a table upon which the sheets are moved to said elements, and devices for gauging the sheets upon said table, said devices comprising means providing a three-point engagement of said sheets at thefront and sidesof the table, and: the side means being movable a distance with an advancing sheet and thereafter retractable from the path thereof.-

7; In a sheet metal slitting machine, the

combination of cutting elements, a-table upon which sheets are adapted to .be moved'to said' cutting elements, three-point gauging devices adapted to engage and hold sheet 7 l as it advances toward .said cutting elements, a-partlof saididevicesbeing arranged at the sideof the table and being yieldableatpre determinedvpoints .to permit unobstructed movement of irregularsheets afterthey'havc been engaged by :the cutting elements.

,8. Ina machine for slitting sheet ,metal and the likehsthe combination 20f slitting rolls, asupport on which the sheets are fed to said rolls, yieldableside gauging means for gauging the :sheet .at two separated points, and ca vfront gauge to temporarily arrest the sheet 11nd. pause it :to-i-bear against said side gauging means, said sideganging means being movable with I the sheet it has reachedsaid rolls. l

9. "In :a sheet metal .islitting ..machine, the combination of. cutters, a support upon which-the sheets are fed to'said cutters, and means on said support :for accurately ;locatinga-n'cadvancing sheet and positively holduntil ing it inkthedesired path of travel, said means comprising .a .ganging rfin'gerin the I path of the sheets and movable therewith and ;means adjacent and also movable along saidpath for engaging :the sheet at certain points and ,maintaining said engagement during- )redeterminedadvancing movement.

a 1.10, 'In' ;a sheet :metal slitting, machine, the

combination sof cutters, a .support upon which thesheets are fed to said cutters, and

means on said support for accurately locating an advancing sheet and positively holding it in the desired path of travel, said means comprising a gauging finger in the path of the sheets and means adjacent said path for engaging the sheet atcertain points and maintaining said engagement during predetermined advancing movement, said means being then retractable to prevent I deflection ofan irregularly formed sheet. 11. In. a sheet metal slitting machine, the

combination of cutters, a support upon which the sheets are fed to said cutters, and means on said support for accurately locating an advancing-sheet and positively holding it in the desired path of movement, said means comprising a liftable gauging finger tin'the path of the sheets, a rock shaft upon which said finger is mounted, means adjacent the path of travel of the sheets for engaging an advancing sheet, a slidable suptains engagement of said means with the sheet during predetermined movement thereof. Y 1

12. In a sheet metal slitting machine, the

"combination of cutters, av support upon port for said means, and amembermounted on said rock shaft and connected with said support whereby action of a sheet upon said finger draws said support forward and mainwhich the sheets are fed to said cutters, and means on said support for accurately locating an advancing sheet and positively holding it in the desired path of movement, said means comprising a littable gauging finger in the path of the sheets, a rock shat't upon which said linger is mounted, means adjacent the path of travel of the sheets for engaging an advancing sheet, a slidable support for said means, a member mounted on said rock shaft and connected with said support whereby action of a sheet upon said linger draws said support forward and. maintains engagement of said means with the sheet durin g predetermined movement thereof, and means causing retraction of said movable sheet-engaging means at a predetermined point.

1.3. lfn a sheet metal slitting machine, the combination of slitting rollers, a support upon which the sheets are fed to said rollers, and devices for squaring the sheets on said support prior to their entry into said slitting rollers, said devices including a ver tic-ally adjustable gauging finger disposed in the path of the sheets and adapted to yieldingly resist the movement thereof.

1%. In a machine for cutting lithographed sheets, the combination of cutting elements, a support upon which the sheets are moved to said elements, and gauging devices for the side of the sheet spaced from each other and engaging the sheet at two points adapted to engage the points on the sheet by which it was gauged in the lithographing press to square up said sheets prior to their being subjected to the cutting elements, and a front gauging device, said gauging devices being movable with the sheet for a predetermined distance.

15. In a machine for cutting lithographed sheets, the combination of cutting elements, a support upon which the sheets are moved to said elements, and auging devices spaced apart one at the rear of the other and adapted to engage the points on the sheet by which it was gauged in the lithographing press to square up said sheets prior to their being subjected to the cutting elements, certain of said gauging devices being movable with a sheet at a side thereof until the sheet is engaged by said cutting elements to permit passage of irregular sheet portions without deflecting the path of travel.

16. A slitting machine having slitting rolls, and means for engaging the edge of a lithographed sheet at two separated points to position the'sheet accurately to be acted on by said rolls, the position of the sheet being unaffected by the other parts of the edge by which it is positioned, whereby the sheet may be gauged in the slitting machine as it was in the printing machine and the slitting caused to accord accurately ith the lithographing, said engaging means being movable with the sheet until it reaches said rolls.

JOHN M. HOTHERSALL. 

